Debra LaValley's Blog

Black AU at 3 Years Old

Today, I got a positive ID on the eagle banded with the Black AU band – that also has a transmitter on its back. The transmitter stopped working last summer. I spotted this eagle at Crete’s (Highway View Farm) last September when it flew right over my head. About a week ago – I spotted a 3 year old bald eagle with a transmitter on its back and wondered if it could be Black AU. Today, I had my answer – it indeed was.

At about 11:10 AM – I stopped at Crete’s and didn’t see any eagles in the “eagle tree” – but got out of my car any way and looked around. To my surprise – an eagle was heading right toward me, and it was the 3 year old eagle with a transmitter. I snapped a bunch of photos of this eagle and a 4 year old eagle that was flying near the 3 year old. I couldn’t believe how close they were. They both were swooping back and forth along the small pond closest to the driveway of the farm. Martha Crete and a couple who were visiting her from Maine also came by to watch the display. If two eagles weren’t enough – a third eagle – a 2 year old came by and made a couple passes overhead.

Upond reviewing my photos – I had shots that showed the black band was indeed AU. Such an awesome find. To read more about the eagle – check out the link from last fall HERE.

Also – check out my Flickr photostream (see link in the right column of this page) to see more eagle photos from today.